


Family Are Those Who Love You

by SylphFlux



Category: OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes
Genre: (I'm a HS. Sorry), Basically the Whole Cast - Freeform, Boxfam is life, Bulges and Nooks, M/M, OC's for plot, Past Child Abuse, Prosthesis, The fucking comes later, Trauma, will update tags as I go along
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-11-17
Packaged: 2019-01-05 20:21:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12196728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SylphFlux/pseuds/SylphFlux
Summary: One more year and Raymond won't have to worry about being shuffled around from home to home. This latest place seems...alright. The heroes across the street are entertaining. The home/factory is a huge step up compared to former places he's stayed at. The family is also...nice? They're getting along for now at least.He just hopes that he can stay here for the whole year.





	1. Interviews and Foster Homes

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a writer. This is my first work and I do not have a beta. I'm winging this hardcore. Whoo!  
> I have no clue how the foster system works at all but this is the OK KO universe so anything goes when you can shoot fire from eyeballs.  
> Summaries suck.  
> I'm sorry.

A year. A year and then there’s no more dealing with going from home to home, family to family, case worker to case worker, hospital to hospital. Finally, he can leave all this family nonsense behind and be by himself. As it should be. He just needs to get through one more year. He’s got this. Totally.

“Uuugh…” At least this place doesn’t have cracks in its ceiling. It took every ounce of Raymond’s self-control to just heave out another sigh before straightening up in his chair. He had been staring at the ceiling attempting amuse himself in some way, to no avail. The chair outside of his newest case worker’s office wasn’t the most comfortable thing to sit in and she was taking forever. He’s been here for what? An hour? His legs, or what’s left of them are already itching to get up and move.

To his immense relief her door swishes open and she beckons him inside with a gesture and a too wide smile. He can feel the waves of positivity coming from her. Great. Raymond flashes a charming smile as he gets up out of the chair with only a sight wobble. Entering her office without a misstep, take that trashy prosthetics. He is on a fucking roll today. At least this day won’t be complete garbage.

He sits in a much nicer chair, much nicer than the one’s outside, across from her desk as she basically skips over to her own chair. She clicks on a few things and Raymond’s eyes are drawn to the stacks of papers that he might be filling out today. His attention snaps back to the case worker as she begins to speak, her voice full of pep and cheer. Gag.

“Raymond! It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m your new case worker, Cenci Lightstorm. All your paperwork that your old case worker Mr. Glendale had was transferred over with no problem. Now. I know you don’t have much longer in our system, but let’s make this last year a good one, right?” She laughs airily before continuing. “Yes, well I do have a few interviews lined up for today. Hopefully you’ll like one of them. I made sure that none of them were like your last…” At this the cheer seems to dim as she clears her throat. “…residence.”

Ah yes. A residence full of a whole lot of booze and very wasted occupants. Not including himself of course. He doesn’t really want to dwell on his former household. Actually, Raymond doesn’t want to think about any of his former ‘homes’. A dismissive wave of his hand accompanies his voice, “Let’s not dwell on the past. When are we starting?”

* * *

Four interviews. Four fabulously fucking awful interviews. Raymond hates these interviews so damn much. He feels so insignificant and judged during them. Like an object that they’re inspecting before tossing him aside since he didn’t meet their standards. It doesn’t matter how charismatic he is during these things, but it helps him feel like he put in some effort.

Case in point, the first interview. A lovely couple who apparently didn’t know that his disability was that his legs were chopped off at the knee. Prosthetics are common now-a-days but since he doesn’t want to talk about how he lost them... Combine that and his negative four power level and he’s pretty sure the couple walked out thinking he lost them doing some horrible deed.

The second interview went along the same lines as the first. Negative level, missing legs. Too much effort to waste on a kid who will mostly likely ditch them in a year. At this point Raymond could start to feel the beginnings of a headache form from Ms. Lightstorm’s perpetual cheer. After both interviews finished, he was guessing she might last a month at most.

The third interview wasn’t anything special. Nothing clicked, and the man that showed up was at least polite and a villain. So, no awkwardness over that at least. No fostering opportunity either, but it was a step up from the last two. Raymond only had one more of these things to go through and he was ready to just leave already. Too bad it was the worst one yet.

Raymond knew this wasn’t going to end well when he saw the couple enter. Both were obviously villains and instantly he saw the man frown and furrow his brow at him. He knew what that look meant. They took their seats and the questions started. They started off with the usual ones, ones Raymond could answer without thinking.

Then it all went to shit. The questions started becoming more personal than Raymond would like. The not so subtle probing of if he has or had a girlfriend. Questions skirting around the eyeliner and mascara. Some were about sports, but the implications weren’t good. They obviously had an issue with a guy liking feminine things. Because wearing mascara as a guy means you would only like sports because of the hot guys to ogle at.

The interview was cut short not long after that. Ms. Lightstorm wasn’t emitting sunshine and rainbows anymore, no she was full on glaring at the couple. They took the hint and left not too long after that. She looks back at Raymond and the smile is back, and very fake. “Well. Today didn’t go so well, but don’t worry! It’s just a few interviews. I’ll be able to set up some more later this week. But for now, do you mind waiting here a moment? The phones are on the fritz and I would like to inform security that those two aren’t allowed on the premise anymore.”

“There’s no need to worry. I can manage sitting in your lovely office for a while longer.” He flashes her a smile. No, no he can’t. Ms. Lightstorm is visibly relieved and heads out with a quick, “Thanks! I’ll just be a moment!”

Then Raymond was finally alone.

His eyes slide closed and he heaves out a heavy sigh. He was tired. So damn tired. The temporary one was just too full and most openings went to the younger kids first. He can’t live alone due to his record either so a hotel is out of the question. So, he gets to suffer through these dumb interviews that were hastily scheduled. Only one more year of this bullshit. He just needed to hold out until then.

“I am Jethro!”

“What the f-” Raymond clamps his mouth shut when he whips around and sees a kid standing in the doorway. The kid, presumably Jethro, had a bulky dark blue coat on that was long enough to cover his hands, a blue scarf, blue hair, and were those Heely’s? Wow this kid liked blue. This little guy had that deep robotic voice?

“I am Jethro.” Yup, robot voice. Raymond raises an eyebrow when the kid ambles up to him. “I am Jethro.” The kid seemed curious about his hair. Well, that’s what Raymond assumed. Jethro didn’t have any inflection in his voice and had a blank look on his face. Might as well entertain him until Ms. Lightstorm comes back. She will know what to do with him.

“Hey there Jethro. Like my do?” He flashes the kid a smile, keeping his posture loose. “Want to touch it?” The eager nodding and wide eyes answered that question. He couldn’t help it if his smile softened a bit, Jethro was adorable. He was also careful when touching his pompadour, though he seemed more interested in the shaved lime green part of his hair. Jethro takes his hand away after a bit and Raymond straightens up in his chair again. “I must say, blue really suits you.”

Jethro lights up, waving his hands around as he says, “I am Jethro!” He’s just too cute. Raymond watches curiously and then with amusement as Jethro shows off his wheels. Exclaiming the same phrase repeatedly as he skates around Raymond’s chair. Or. Well he tries to. The rug gets in the way and he nearly ends up faceplanting.

Thankfully Raymond has quick reflexes and easily hooks a few fingers in the blue collar, carefully tugging him upright again with a small chuckle. “How about you show me your moves later?” Jethro pouts and he can’t have that. Oh!

“I don’t have anything as cool as your wheels, but I do have fake feet. See?” Raymond pulls his jeans up enough to show a bit of metal, drawing Jethro’s attention with ease. “They aren’t the best, but I make them look good.” Jethro pokes at the bit of metal with a small frown before looking up and giving Raymond a thumbs-up.

Somebody behind them clears their throat. “Hello, my name is Lord Boxman. I see you found my son Jethro. Thank you for keeping an eye on him. He didn’t bother you or interrupt a meeting? I take my eyes off him for one second and he disappeared” The man advances, as soon as he’s within reach Jethro grabs a lab coat sleeve. He was short, and kind of…let’s just say puffy, with a mechanical eye and chicken hand. Maybe arm? Raymond thinks that he can safely assume that Jethro is adopted by looks alone. Possibly recently since he wandered off. But it’s none of his business.

“Jethro was an absolute angel Lord Boxman. Well, other than going inside someone’s office of course. My name’s Raymond. ~” Raymond might be laying on the charm a bit thick, but after that last interview he doesn’t really care if that’s the case. He shakes the man's, lord's how do you even become a lord now anyhow, hand. He'll miss Jethro, but right now, the two of them leaving would be wonderful.

“Is that a prosthetic?” Fuck. He instantly tenses up. Of course, he forgot to roll his jeans back down. Lord Boxman has a metal plate and cyber eye that made his legs look even worse than trash. Self-conscious doesn’t begin to cover what he’s feeling.

He quickly tugs down the pant leg and gives him a not so convincing smile. “Ah. Yes. Well I’m sure you need to be on your way. It was nice to meet you both. Bye!” Throughout his blathering, he swiftly gets up and ushers the two smaller males to and out the door. Promptly shutting it behind them. Raymond nearly sags in relief. Well he made a slight ass of himself, but he won’t be seeing them again. It’s the small mercies in life.

* * *

Life can go fuck itself.

It had been a few days since then and of course the day he has another interview this happens. Ms. Lightstorm was as happy as ever, if not more so. It had been a quick chat of the usual consoling, next step sort of things, and that she’ll contact him when another interview comes up. So why is Lord Boxman here?

The same man he practically shoved out of this very room. Who, in Raymond’s internet search, apparently has a power level of negative fucking ten. Who also is the owner of the number one manufacturer for villains. Raymond nearly choked to death on his drink when he read that. He met one of Boxman’s kids and called him an angel. He’s so dead.

“Raymond, come in. Take a seat. I heard that you’ve already met Lord Boxman.” Why is she so happy when this is obviously a horrible situation? Raymond just takes his seat and nods, side-eyeing the villain sitting next to him. Ms. Lightstorm presses on, seemingly unaware of Raymond’s nervousness. “Great! Now, let’s get started.”

How about no?

“Raymond.”

Never mind. This is happening.

“Yes, Lord Boxman?” Just smile and try to make eye contact. It’s just an interview.

“As you know I have children, you met Jethro. I also have two boys, Ernesto who is older than you, Darrel who is your age, and one girl, Shannon who is also your age. Our home is connected to the factory I run. I make goods, mostly robots, for villains.” Boxman seemed at ease, which helped Raymond’s nerves a great deal.

“It sounds like a lively household. I…would like to apologize for how our last, um, meeting ended. It was rather rude of me, to, you know…” Raymond wasn’t too concerned with the large household, he’s been in plenty of those. But he can’t help fidgeting and tapping his fingertips together as he sheepishly apologizes. While he is a villain, it’s no excuse to be rude.

Lord Boxman just smiles and waves it off. “It’s fine. Now I hear you have an interest in sports…”

* * *

After an hour passes the interview finally ends. Most of it was Raymond going off on a sports related tangent and Boxman talking about his kids. There was also other topics they chatted about: villainy, Boxman’s business, how living arrangements worked with a factory attached to the home, and a few other things with Ms. Lightstorm interjecting a few times. It was…kinda nice. Except for when his past living situations were brought up. Then Ms. Lightstorm did most of the talking.

Then another hour was spent with getting the paperwork all sorted out. Ms. Lightstorm had apparently checked the Boxman household and given it a stamp of approval, which speed things up. Usually this took a few days to get done, but they did need to rush due to the overcrowding. It was a bit overwhelming. This was the fastest Raymond’s been assigned a new home. All that was left to do was wait a few days for everything to get processed and pack his stuff for the move.


	2. Moving In and Attacking the Plaza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving day has come and with it a chance to prove himself and beat up some heroes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update! Life sucker punched me hard.
> 
> But thank you for the kudos and comments. They mean a lot.

Today was the day. A Boxmore truck had already come and took most of his things, not that he had much to begin with. The robots that did the heavy lifting were cool though. They were red, had one eye, and had a, hopefully, fake brain in a jar on their heads. They didn’t say anything, just did their jobs and drove off. One of them did wave goodbye to him with a dopey smile on its face though. Weird.

Raymond waited until the van was out of sight before heading into the garage. His bike was there along with the duffle bag stuffed with his most valuable possessions. There was no way he’d give shit that means _something_ to him to someone else. Not even to transport it. So it was riding in the sidecar. He takes a moment to just look at his bike. Man, he sure loves this thing. It had spikes and was pink and is totally amazing. Before he leaves, he double checks the directions Boxman gave to him as he pits on his helmet. Then it was time to leave this place in the dust.

The drive was about an hour long if one broke a few traffic laws and went about 30 mph above the speed limit. Sometimes it really paid to be a villain. Raymond could do dumb shit like this for no other reason than, “Because it’s evil.”. Unfortunately, it was long enough for doubt to start creeping into Raymond's mind. What if he messed up the directions? What if Boxman gave him a fake address? He told Boxman he had transportation, but he didn’t say it was a motorcycle. He’s had families who had an issue with it before…No! Just focus on the road and worry later.

* * *

You have _got_ to be kidding. Raymond can hardly stop staring at the giant building that was coming into view. It screamed factory of doom while on the opposite side of the street was a…Raymond had to squint for a moment because he must be mistaken. Was that a plaza?

Raymond started to slow down as he drew nearer. That was indeed a plaza. Wait. Didn’t Lord Boxman mention something about heroes across the street? It looked like some place heroes would hang out. He’ll have to ask about it when he sees Boxman. For now, he goes around back to park in a garage meant for the Boxmore's personal vehicles. He parked next to a sensible looking purple car and shut off the engine.

“Hello! You must be Raymond.” His eyes are drawn to the source of the unfamiliar voice, a rather rotund man in a top hat. Based off his purple sweater, Raymond can guess that he parked next to his car. The man walks up to him as Raymond takes off his helmet and gets off his bike. “It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Ernesto.” A hand is offered for Raymond to shake, which he hesitantly does, letting go quickly.

“It’s nice to meet you too Ernesto. So…you’re the oldest sibling?” He wasn’t expecting, well, this to be what Boxman's eldest son was like. Put together, with an office worker look about him. It made a little bit of sense since Boxman told Raymond that Ernesto helped manage the factory. The only ‘evil’ thing about him was that he had one eye. As in there’s just dark skin covering where the left eye would be. Raymond tries not to stare at the shorter man by grabbing his duffle and shouldering it.

If Ernesto noticed his eyes lingering, then he didn’t show any indication of it. Smiling, or well, giving off the vibes of smiling since his mouth was covered by his collar, “Why yes I am. The little ones were playing a board game the last time I saw them.” Little ones? Weren’t Shannon and Darrel the same age as him? “But I think it’s best if you get to settle in before meeting the rest of the family. Follow me and I can show you where your room is. We put all of your things in there already.”

“Uh, sure. That sounds cool.” Ernesto started to walk with Raymond a step behind as he looks around at his new home. It looked like the inside of a house. An entryway, sitting room He expected more…factory things. More robots that’s for sure. “So…is there anything I should know about?” So smooth. Raymond wants to slap himself.

”As you most likely could tell, we are in the house part of the building. Aside from the usual rooms one would find we also have a gym, first aid room, game room, and a few other rooms that aren’t currently in use or have been ‘taken over’ by someone in the house. I’m guilty of converting one into a home office.” Raymond is checking out the gym the first chance he gets. “The factory portion is accessible on certain floors, which are labeled, by several doors that have hazard signs on them. Lord Boxman’s office along with several meeting rooms and other offices are in the factory side as well. It’s also where I am usually found.” Ernesto stops in front of an elevator and pushes the button. “Your room is on the fourth floor along with the rest of ours.” Ugh. Stairs. He hates them so much. “The walls are soundproof, so no need to worry about waking someone up.” There’s a ding and they step inside. The fourth floor button gets pushed and they start heading upwards. Raymond noticed that the first floor had a yellow dot next to it along with the second floor. Must be how they get in the factory.

Ernesto continues to speak as Raymond waits for the elevator to stop. “The only rules, aside from the obvious ones in any household, are to be _extremely _careful when you are in the factory, not to interrupt any meetings, don’t use the robots outside of the factory unless you’re attacking the plaza, let someone know if you’re leaving, and to attend the tutoring sessions and do the work associated with it. The last one you don’t need to worry about since you finished up school. Unless you planned on taking college courses?”__

____

Raymond could feel his skin crawl at the question, shaking his head. “Nope.” He doesn’t bother elaborating further. Usually after high school, or the equivalent of high school, people either dove into the hero or villain business while working (if they were lucky it was their job), stayed neutral while working, or got a degree to do the previous options. Frankly it was his business and not theirs on what he would be doing.

There’s just silence after his short answer after its made apparent that Raymond wasn’t going to say anything further on the matter. In that time they had exited the elevator and continued to walk. It doesn’t take much longer for them to reach his room after that. Ernesto stops in front of the door and turns to him. “This is it. When you’re done you’re welcome to explore. Dinner is at six. And Raymond…” At this Ernesto places a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It’s good to have you here.” He pats his shoulder and walks away with Raymond staring after him.

Raymond wasn’t sure what to make of all…this. It was just a lot to take in at once. There were still two more siblings to meet as well. He looks at the closed door that was covered in pictures of a teenage girl that was a little ways down the hall from him. Shannon’s room he assumes. For now, he'll unpack a few things and stay put. No need to introduce himself right away. Making up his mind Raymond opens up the door to his room.

He freezes in the doorway because surely this must be a mistake. There’s no way this is his bedroom. This room was _huge_. He spots his things next to the bed, confirming that this was indeed his bedroom. Raymond finally forces himself to step inside and close the door. After the initial shock he fully takes in the room as he makes his way over to his stuff. There was a bookcase, a night stand, a queen size bed, a T.V. mounted on the wall, a freaking couch and armchair with a table in front of them, a wardrobe, a dresser, and two doors. All that with space to spare.

Raymond sets his duffle at the foot of the bed before sitting down on it. It was stupidly soft and cushy. Everything was just so _nice_. It made his things look out of place. He ends up sitting cross-legged on the floor because of how uncomfortable he feels on such a high quality piece of furniture.

The unpacking goes by quickly. All he takes out are the essentials, he doesn’t want to have to repack everything if he ends up leaving in a week. The rest of the boxes sit there as he gets up to see if he can fit them in the closet. The first door he opens leads into a very nice-looking bathroom, the towels were green which he liked. He closes that door and opens the other which leads to a walk-in closet. Raymond thinks he might be getting a headache from how big this room is. He’s used to either sharing a space with someone or barely being able to fit his crap in his room. Not this. The boxes get shoved into the closet and with that Raymond is finished.

Now he has no clue what to do next. Exploring seems exhausting and even if he found the gym, his legs were already aching so he couldn’t do much. Introductions were still a hard no. He decides to just idly poke around his room. The bathroom was stocked, the remote was on the table and the wardrobe and dresser were both empty. The nightstand was a different story.

There was an expensive headset looking device in the drawer. For a moment he thought that it was something they left behind while getting the room ready. The only thing that makes him hesitate was that the colors match his Letterman jacket. Raymond decides to just take it out, revealing a booklet underneath with his name on it. A housewarming gift? He brings them over to the couch to inspect them, setting them on the table next to his duffle as he sits down.

The couch was nice and plush, after a moment of internal debate he rolls up his jeans and takes off his prosthetics. _Fuuuuck,_ it already felt ten times better with them off. He keeps them within reach as he lays back and becomes one with the sofa. Grabbing the booklet, he starts to read.

* * *

Ok. He’s certain that he understands the basics of this device. It seems that it controls a robot, that looks a lot like himself (his nose wasn’t _that_ big) and works a lot like the virtual games where you move in a virtual space but not in the real world. It seems like a bit much – scratch that. A robot was a lot for a housewarming gift. Even if it seemed to mainly be for going in the factory and not worrying about getting acid on him or anything else.

Raymond sets the booklet aside and grabs the headset. Just examining it. It looked more like headphones than a device for a robot. Well, might as well try them. He puts them on, being careful not to mess up his hair, and then pushes the button on the right side to power it up. A green tinted visor forms over his eyes and then he’s no longer looking at his room.

Instead, he’s looking at a workshop. Scraps of metal, wires, blueprints, tools and other mechanical related gizmos were covering the desks. Raymond decides not to snoop, mostly in fear of messing up a project. His attention returns to himself, well the robot him. He tests out his movement and basic functions, transforming his hand into a blaster – not firing it – and back and briefly testing out the rockets on his feet. He really likes them, it’s one hell of an upgrade from what he has. But, it’s still really over the top for a welcoming gift though.

”I see you found your controller. I must admit I thought it would be longer before you found it.” Raymond jumps at the voice with an ‘eep!’ and whirls around to face the newcomer. It was Lord Boxman. He can’t help but blush - robots can apparently blush – at his overreaction. Of course, the man would be in his own workshop. Thankfully, Boxman didn’t seemed bothered by it. Continuing on, “Are you liking it so far?”

”It’s nice. Lord Boxman. It uh. Um. Seems like a bit much. Not that I don’t appreciate it! It’s cool! I just um-“ Shit. Fantastic job Raymond. Let’s act like an idiot. He automatically starts tapping his fingers together as he tries to string together a sentence that won’t sound stupid.

Before he can do that Boxman interrupts. “Raymond, it’s fine. I do this for all my children. It’s much safer to use a robot in the more dangerous areas of the factory. That and I would rather have to build a new robot than have my kids get injured fighting those brats at the plaza. It’s also good for business.” Lord Boxman gave him a critical once over. “You’ve adjusted quickly to using it. It took Darrel half an hour to transform his arm into a blaster the first time he tried his robot out. Shannon cut through my work bench when swinging around her sawblades.” Boxman brushes a hand over one of the workspaces with a faraway look in his eyes. Looking back at Raymond. “Anyways, I take it the Darrels I sent did a good job with transporting your things? Do you like your room?”

Darrels? Oh. He must mean those red robots. “They did fine. They…seemed friendly? And the room is really nice. So. This-“, he gestures to himself, “-robot is for going into the factory and for attacking the plaza? The one across the street?”

”Yes, but you don’t have to attack the Lakewood plaza if you don’t want to. Shannon and Darrel are over there now. Maybe this time they’ll do a decent amount of damage to Gar's bodega before coming back.” He sighs. “Those two go through so many robots. Not as many as Jethro but they’re getting there.”

”Wait. Jethro attacks the plaza?” Raymond ‘s curiosity is definitely peaked. Does Jethro have a tiny robot? That would be adorable. He wants to see one asap. Though he is concerned about one thing, “So they attack adults? Seems like they’d be at a disadvantage Lord Boxman.”

Lord Boxman laughs and waves his chicken hand at Raymond. “Oh. No no no. Usually it’s just the employees-” the word was laced with distaste, “-that that are the ones who fight. Two of them at around your age while the other is closer to Jethro's. The only adult that fights is Gar, the owner.” He pats Raymond’s arm. “And you don’t need to call me Lord Boxman. You live here now, no need to be so formal.”

”Oh. Okay. Uh. Box-” Should he just call him Boxman? That seems a little…odd to call a lord that. In a moment of panic he just blurts out, “I mean- C-Coach Boxman?” Raymond facepalms. Hard. He’s certain that he facepalmed with his actual hand and the robot's hand, possibly leaving a dent. Double facepalm. Groaning from how dumb it sounded. Coach?! Seriously?! Kill him. Kill him now. That was the worst thing to say.

Boxman slowly repeats him. “Coach…Boxman?” Raymond peaks through his fingers and- is that a smile? Before he can apologize Boxman speaks, his tone more amused than anything else. “That wasn’t what I had in mind but if you want to call me that you can.” What a relief. Something beeps and Boxman sighs, face falling into a frown. “One moment. It seems that Shannon and Darrel have been defeated. You can meet them after they tell me how their fight went if you want to wait.”

A flash of inspiration struck Raymond. “Could I attack the plaza?” He needs to think of a plan of course. Just beating up some random heroes, while fun, is somewhat basic. There needs to be some pizzazz. “I want to give this fine form a test run.”

Coach - might as well stick with it – looks at him in surprise. “Are you sure? I haven’t even customized your robot to be able to do your power moves…Actually.” Coach's brows furrowed in confusion. “I’m not even sure what your power moves are.”

Raymond‘s mouth twitches before settling into a confident smirk. “Your fine craftsmanship-“, he gestures to himself, “-should be more than enough to defeat them.” He’s not surprised by Boxman's confusion. Power moves, and other abilities are normally included in a foster or adopted child's file, so the guardian knows what they’re getting into if a fight breaks out. He’s been moved around so much, something was bound to get lost in the piles of paperwork. Honestly it’s the only good thing to come of it.

“My work is amazing.” Boxman practically puffs up in pride. “I’ll introduce you to Shannon and Darrel before you go off to attack the plaza. Wait here.” Raymond watches him leave and instantly starts trying to think up of some sort of plan of attack. He had no clue what to expect or what would be impressive to Boxman. Maybe stealing something? Ugh, this is going to be a disaster.

* * *

That went well. Initially that is. His plan went over great with Coach, even though it made no sense. A missing letter doesn’t suddenly make it, so nobody knows what store it is. Just goes to show that confidence is key. Or that the other kids aren’t very good at planning attacks. From what little he gleaned from his brief meeting of Shannon and Darrell, he’s leaning more on the latter.

It was nerve-wracking getting ready to attack the plaza. Aside from having to impress Boxman, he also had to make a – good doesn’t seem to be the right word for it – an impression(?). Yeah. An unforgettable, _fabulous _impression on the heroes that he’ll be crushing if they get in his way. Raymond was pleasantly surprised that Boxman let him draw on the box and stuff a ton of flower petals in it. He also got some cool weapons that he was terrified to break accidentally. The only awkward thing was Boxman asking him to call him dad, which resulted in Coach Boxdad. Because while Raymond was living under his roof, there was no way he was going to call him Dad. So that was the middle ground he came to.__

__

__All the fretting was for nothing because that was the most pathetic fight he’s ever been in. The ripped blue alien looked like he might be a challenge, but he didn’t even get off his finger blasters. Ninja girl had some interesting moves, but had a glaring opening that had her down for the count. He easily took the R from the sign after that. Then a kid tried to attack him, after Raymond made it clear he wasn’t going to beat up a kid. Which is why the fight went from depressing to pathetic._ _

__

__But the results were what mattered. He got a little turned around when he went back inside of Boxmore, but he managed to drop off the penalty box and get directions from a robot Darrel to Boxdad. Raymond wasn’t sure what to expect when he presented the R, maybe a pat on the back and a good job. He got that and a waterfall of praise! It felt…really nice to be appreciated._ _

__

__Then like everything in his life, it went to shit. Shannon and Darrel barged in with the kid tied up - and no he did not hide behind the R when he got startled by them. They completely overshadowed his achievement _and they did it on purpose _. They looked so damn pleased with themselves.___ _

___ _

___Raymond felt sick, everything was falling apart. He even forgot to grab the R as he gets dragged along by Boxman, begging for another chance to attack the plaza. And being denied as he’s pried off Boxman's leg. Shit. Where does he stand now? Is he going to be kicked out because he failed? If he isn’t then he doesn’t have long left, two of the kids don’t like him and he knows Boxman would be on their side if any conflict arises. Parents always side with their kids, not with the temporary ones… No matter what, he’s screwed._ _ _

* * *

_____ _

Raymond doesn’t know where to leave the robot and right now he doesn’t really care as he rips off the headset. It skitters off the top of the table and clunks to the floor. He barely notices it as he scrambles to re-attach his legs with jittery fingers. If he gets kicked out, then his record for shortest stay will be less than a day, completely smashing his record of a week. If he doesn’t…well he knows how villains are when their plans fall through.

_____ _

_____ _

He finally gets them on with only a few pricks of pain and rolls down his pant legs. Raymond quickly shoves what few things he unpacked, back where they belong. A quick fix to his hair and he's done. All that’s left to do is wait for the inevitable. He snags the headset off the floor and places it on the table before sitting down once again.

_____ _

_____ _

The only upside is that he can watch sports on a snazzy T.V. while waiting. He’s not sure how much time has passed – a complete lie, he’s painfully aware of how much time has passed – as he flicks through the different sport channels. Raymond just couldn’t concentrate on any of them, tapping his foot to try and get rid of some of his nervous energy out. It’s just too quiet. Usually something would’ve happened by now…

_____ _

_____ _

Gah! Raymond throws his head back with a groan. At this rate he’s going to drive himself crazy before anything even happens! Not even sports are cheering him up. It’s just making him feel more depressed with all the players running around and the winners celebrating. A click and the channel is switched to rock and roll music videos. That’s better.

_____ _

_____ _

BANG! Raymond swears that his heart nearly leapt out of his throat at the loud sound. “One second!” He fumbles with the remote and flicks off the T.V. A few deep breaths as he crosses the room to compose himself before unlocking and opening the door with a winning smile. Blocking the entryway with his body, “Sorry about that. I was just listening…to…music. Oh. It’s you.” 

_____ _

_____ _


	3. Another Perspective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The other perspective on the fostering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I've really enjoyed the nice comments and all the kudos. They're so sweet!
> 
> Sorry for prolonging the cliffhanger.
> 
> Fun fact: in the US in some places you can be fostered up to 21. I would think that they would try to keep people (villains) in the system for as long as they can to keep tabs on them or something like that. But other than that I'm still winging this foster system stuff. Yay for fictional universes.

Boxman has no idea what he’s gotten himself into with Raymond. He had hoped to foster, maybe adopt another child when he went with Jethro to the foster center. Not a teen that set off all his paternal instincts and then amped them up to eleven. 

When he had gone with Jethro, he had expected to maybe talk to a few kids, and see if Jethro got along with them. All that happened was that it was once again proven that all children, save for his own, were annoying and rude. Jethro ended up wandering off when Boxman was – ahem – distracted ‘talking’ (re: yelling) at one of the workers. Resulting in an increase in yelling and one very scared worker. 

To say that he was worried doesn’t even come close to how he felt. What if someone took his boy? There was no way he is leaving the searching to these incompetent fools. He was five seconds away from calling in a mini robot army when he saw a flash of blue in the corner of his eye. Boxman was fully prepared to give him a good scolding for scaring him like that when he sees that Jethro isn’t alone. 

It was a teenager. He looked well put together and caught Jethro like it was nothing. This was just too cute not to watch Jethro having an enjoyable time after the disaster earlier. But they had to go and Boxman was interested in the boy’s prosthetics. People usually don’t hide them anymore, though from the brief glimpse he got they look simplistic. 

Raymond certainly was charming, even when they were pushed out of the room. There was just….something _off_ about him. His attitude was just too practiced. Boxman tried to leave but with his own curiosity and Jethro’s very loud insistence had him making a very hasty appointment with Ms. Lightstorm. She was a very pleasant woman and won some points in her favor within three minutes of meeting her by giving Jethro a blue lollipop. 

He managed to match with him as a possible candidate after Ms. Lightstorm changed the age range he was looking for. After answering a few questions they set up a time for an interview and chatted a bit before he was given a file of basic information on Raymond and they left the office. 

* * *

>   
>  Name: Raymond  
>  Age: 20  
>  Sex: Male  
>  Gender: Male  
>  Species: Human  
>  Power Level: -4  
>  Power Move(s) : N/A  
>  Birth Parents: N/A  
>  Allergies: None  
>  Other: Has prosthetic legs from the knees down.  
> 

The rest of the document contained a list of his former households, how long he stayed, and why he left. More precisely, why he was kicked out. Most of it seemed to be due to fighting, running away, or ‘incompatible’ households. Boxman shuddered thinking about the last one. There were so many ways to interpret it and none of them were good. It was a shame they didn’t include the addresses. Boxman would’ve loved to have ‘words’ with those people. Raymond also appeared to have had about a two-year gap which was only explained with the word “Hospital”. 

hr/>

The interview went well and Boxman was fretting during the rest of the process. What if Raymond didn’t want to be fostered by him? What if he didn’t like his room? His robot? He got along with Jethro but what about the rest of the kids? It’s been…a while since another member was added to the family. 

The entire process was nerve-wracking, even after getting approval and putting the finishing touches on Raymond's room Boxman was still jittery. Ernesto was kind enough to not mention it and give Boxman some much needed distraction. They both looked over the extra documents that arrived. Not that there was much else there. It was frustrating to say the least that there was so much that said practically nothing. The only new things they learned was the Raymond was a good student and the list of schools he had attended. 

“How is there not more?! He’s been all over the neutral zone!” Boxman rubs his throbbing head with his human hand. Staring down at the files before him. There was only one more day until Raymond arrived. “These people are incompetent.” 

Ernesto makes a humming sound as he flips another page. “I have to say that I agree. They put the minimal amount of effort with his paperwork. Only the very basics. Then again he has had a lot of case workers.” 

“They don’t even have his power moves listed. _His power moves Ernesto._ ” His headache is just getting worse. He thought that they removed the power move from the basic file for security reasons or something but nope. Just not there. “And don’t get me started on the whole hospital business. Nothing!” 

“...” Ernesto closes the file he was looking at and sets it aside. “He is basically an adult. With privacy rights. It’s not surprising that we don’t have everything. So. Why him?” Silence. Of course, Lord Boxman wasn’t going to make this easy. “Dad.” 

Boxman takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. He can’t help but stare at the headshot of Raymond that came with the files. How can he possibly answer the question when he doesn’t know the answer? “I knew I was going to adopt you the moment I saw you hiding in an alley with a Boxmore box for shelter. With Shannon and Darrel, they had lost so much so quickly, but they kept going. Jethro…was just so small and alone.” 

Oh.

The realization clicked as he reminisced about his children. He carefully picks up the headshot. “Looking at him, you wouldn’t think that he went through so many households.” A pause. “The reason why something felt off…it was barely noticeable, but his hand was trembling. Like he was hanging on by a thread. That’s why.”


End file.
